open hood CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV 2009 Owners Manual

Engine Coolant Heater The engine coolant heater can provide easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up in cold
weather conditions at or below 0°F ( − 18°C). Vehicles
with an engine heater should be plugged in at least
four hours before starting. An internal thermostat in
the plug-end of the cord may exist which will prevent
engine coolant heater operation at temperatures above
0°F ( − 18°C).
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater 1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord.
The cord is located on the driver’s side of the
engine compartment, near the power steering uid
reservoir.
3. Plug the cord into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC
outlet. { CAUTION: Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet could
cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong kind of
extension cord could overheat and cause a re.
You could be seriously injured. Plug the cord into a
properly grounded three-prong 110-volt AC outlet.
If the cord will not reach, use a heavy-duty
three-prong extension cord rated for at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts. If you do not, it could be
damaged.
The length of time the heater should remain plugged in
depends on several factors. Ask a dealer/retailer in
the area where you will be parking the vehicle for the
best advice on this.
2-28

ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED This message displays and a chime sounds when the
cooling system temperature gets too hot and the engine
further enters the engine coolant protection mode. See
Engine Overheating on page 6-30 for further information.
This message also displays when the vehicle’s engine
power is reduced. Reduced engine power can affect the
vehicle’s ability to accelerate. If this message is on, but
there is no reduction in performance, proceed to your
destination. The performance may be reduced the next
time the vehicle is driven. The vehicle may be driven at a
reduced speed while this message is on, but acceleration
and speed may be reduced. Anytime this message stays
on, the vehicle should be taken to your dealer/retailer for
service as soon as possible.
FUEL LEVEL LOW This message displays and a chime sounds if the fuel
level is low. Refuel as soon as possible. See Fuel Gage
on page 3-46 and Fuel on page 6-5 for more information.
HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM OFF This message displays when the heated windshield
washer has been turned off. See Windshield Washer
on page 3-11 for more information. HEATING WASH FLUID WASH WIPES
PENDING This message displays when the heated windshield
washer system is heating the uid. See Windshield
Washer on page 3-11 for more information.
HOOD OPEN This message displays and a chime sounds if the hood
is not fully closed. Stop and turn off the vehicle, check the
hood for obstructions, and close the hood again. Check to
see if the message still appears on the DIC.
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE WITH CARE This message displays when ice conditions are possible.
LEFT REAR DOOR OPEN This message displays and a chime sounds if the driver
side rear door is not fully closed and the vehicle is shifted
out of P (Park). Stop and turn off the vehicle, check the
door for obstructions, and close the door again. Check to
see if the message still appears on the DIC.
3-58

Gasoline Specications At a minimum, gasoline should meet ASTM specication
D 4814 in the United States or CAN/CGSB-3.5 or 3.511 in
Canada. Some gasolines contain an octane-enhancing
additive called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). We recommend against the use of
gasolines containing MMT. See Additives on page 6-6 for
additional information.
California Fuel If the vehicle is certied to meet California Emissions
Standards, it is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specications. See the underhood emission
control label. If this fuel is not available in states adopting
California emissions standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal specications, but
emission control system performance might be affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle might fail a smog-check test. See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 3-42 . If this occurs, return to your
authorized dealer/retailer for diagnosis. If it is determined
that the condition is caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs might not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Additives To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that help prevent
engine and fuel system deposits from forming, allowing
the emission control system to work properly. In most
cases, you should not have to add anything to the fuel.
However, some gasolines contain only the minimum
amount of additive required to meet U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency regulations. To help keep fuel injectors
and intake valves clean, or if the vehicle experiences
problems due to dirty injectors or valves, look for gasoline
that is advertised as TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline.
For customers who do not use TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline regularly, one bottle of GM Fuel System
Treatment PLUS, added to the fuel tank at every engine
oil change, can help clean deposits from fuel injectors
and intake valves. GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS is
the only gasoline additive recommended by General
Motors.
Also, your dealer/retailer has additives that will help
correct and prevent most deposit-related problems.
Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers and
ethanol, and reformulated gasolines might be available in
your area. We recommend that you use these gasolines,
if they comply with the specications described earlier.
6-6

Hood Release To open the hood:
1. Pull the handle with
this symbol on it. It is
located inside the
vehicle to the lower left
of the steering wheel.
2. Then go to the front of the vehicle and locate the
secondary hood release, near the center of the
grille.
3. Push the secondary hood release to the right.
4. Lift the hood.
Before closing the hood, be sure all the ller caps are
on properly. Then bring the hood from full open to
within 6 inches (152 mm) from the closed position,
pause, then push the front center of the hood with a
swift, rm motion to fully close the hood.
6-13

Engine Compartment Overview If the vehicle is a Two-mode Hybrid, see the Two-mode Hybrid manual for more information.
When you open the hood on the 6.2L engine this is what you will see:
6-14

You may decide not to lift the hood when this warning
appears, but instead get service help right away.
See Roadside Service on page 8-7 .
If you do decide to lift the hood, make sure the vehicle
is parked on a level surface.
Then check to see if the engine cooling fans are
running. If the engine is overheating, both fans should
be running. If they are not, do not continue to run
the engine and have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant is not covered by your warranty.
See Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode
on page 6-33 for information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.
Notice: If the engine catches re while driving with
no coolant, the vehicle can be badly damaged.
The costly repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. See Overheated Engine
Protection Operating Mode on page 6-33 for
information on driving to a safe place in an
emergency. If Steam Is Coming From The Engine
Compartment
{ CAUTION: Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Turn it off and get everyone away from the
vehicle until it cools down. Wait until there is no sign
of steam or coolant before you open the hood.
If you keep driving when the vehicles engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch re. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop the engine if it
overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
See Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode
on page 6-33 for information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.
6-31

Notice: If the other vehicle’s system is not a 12-volt
system with a negative ground, both vehicles can
be damaged. Only use vehicles with 12-volt systems
with negative grounds to jump start your vehicle.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles are not touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you do not want. You would not be
able to start your vehicle, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake rmly on both vehicles involved
in the jump start procedure. Put the automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a manual transmission
in Neutral before setting the parking brake. If
you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the
transfer case is in a drive gear, not in Neutral. Notice: If you leave the radio or other accessories
on during the jump starting procedure, they could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered by
the warranty. Always turn off the radio and other
accessories when jump starting the vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or the accessory power outlets. Turn off
the radio and all the lamps that are not needed.
This avoids sparks and helps save both batteries.
And it could save the radio!
4. Open the hood on the other vehicle and locate the
positive (+) and negative ( − ) terminal locations on
that vehicle.
Your vehicle has a remote positive (+) jump starting
terminal and a remote negative ( − ) jump starting
terminal. You should always use these remote
terminals instead of the terminals on the battery.
If the vehicle has a remote positive (+) terminal, it is
located under a red plastic cover at the positive
battery post. To uncover the remote positive (+)
terminal, open the red plastic cover.
6-41

Headlamp aiming is done with the vehicle’s low-beam
headlamps. The high-beam headlamps will be correctly
aimed if the low-beam headlamps are aimed properly.
To adjust the vertical aim:
1. Open the hood. See Hood Release on page 6-13
for more information.
2. Locate the center of
the projector lens of
the low-beam
headlamp.
3. Record the distance from the ground to the center
of the projector lens of the low-beam headlamp. 4. At a wall, measure from the ground upward (A) to
the recorded distance from Step 3 and mark it.
5. Draw or tape a horizontal line (B) on the wall the
width of the vehicle at the height of the mark in
Step 4.
Notice: Do not cover a headlamp to improve beam
cut-off when aiming. Covering a headlamp may
cause excessive heat build-up which may cause
damage to the headlamp.
6. Turn on the low-beam headlamps and place a
piece of cardboard or equivalent in front of the
headlamp not being adjusted. This allows only the
beam of light from the headlamp being adjusted
to be seen on the at surface.
6-49

Ignition Transmission Lock Check While parked, and with the parking brake set, try to turn
the ignition to LOCK/OFF in each shift lever position.
The ignition should turn to LOCK/OFF only
when the shift lever is in P (Park).
The ignition key should come out only in
LOCK/OFF.
Contact your dealer/retailer if service is required.
Parking Brake and Automatic
Transmission P (Park) Mechanism
Check
{ CAUTION: When you are doing this check, the vehicle could
begin to move. You or others could be injured and
property could be damaged. Make sure there is
room in front of the vehicle in case it begins to roll.
Be ready to apply the regular brake at once
should the vehicle begin to move. Park on a fairly steep hill, with the vehicle facing
downhill. Keeping your foot on the regular brake,
set the parking brake.
To check the parking brake’s holding ability: With
the engine running and transmission in N (Neutral),
slowly remove foot pressure from the regular brake
pedal. Do this until the vehicle is held by the parking
brake only.
To check the P (Park) mechanism’s holding
ability: With the engine running, shift to P (Park).
Then release the parking brake followed by the
regular brake.
Contact your dealer/retailer if service is required.
Hood and Liftgate Support Gas Strut
Service Visually inspect gas strut for signs of wear, corrosion,
cracks, loss of lubricant, or other damage. Check
the hold open ability of gas strut. If necessary,
replace with genuine parts from your dealer/retailer.
Underbody Flushing Service At least every spring, use plain water to ush any
corrosive materials from the underbody. Take care to
clean thoroughly any areas where mud and other debris
can collect.
7-12